What does laundress mean?
Laundress is a noun meaning a woman who washes clothes, especially clothes belonging to other people. In older English and in historical accounts, it commonly refers to a woman employed in domestic service or working independently to clean and return other people's laundry. The word can therefore evoke both an occupation and an older social world in which washing was labor-intensive and physically demanding. Although the usual everyday modern words are washerwoman, laundrywoman, and washer, laundress remains useful in historical writing and period settings because it names the worker rather than the washing, the laundry, or the shop where clothes are cleaned. Its close connection to laundry and, ultimately, the Latin verb lavare, “to wash,” makes it a distinctive example of a traditional job title preserved in modern English.
nounA woman who washes clothes, especially clothes belonging to other people. In historical contexts, the term often refers to a woman employed to do household washing or to take in other people's laundry.
- A woman who washes clothes, especially for other people, whether as an occupation, an employee in a household, or a small-scale laundry worker.
"The laundress collected the clothes early each morning and returned them clean and neatly folded by evening."
"The laundress was expected to wash, mend, and carefully fold the household's clothes."
"The novel portrays her as a laundress whose careful work supports the entire household."
The regular plural is “laundresses,” with the suffix “-es” added to the noun ending in “-ss.”
"The two laundresses worked together in the basement."
Before “dry cleaning,” a laundress was the person who personally did the washing.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does laundress come from?
The word entered English in the Middle English period in the form laundresse. It derives from Anglo-French laundresse, ultimately from Medieval Latin lavandaria, a feminine form meaning a woman who washes, based on Latin lavare, “to wash.” English relatives include laundry and lavatory, which likewise reflect the Latin washing root.
How laundress is actually used
The word is now mainly historical, literary, or regional in tone. In everyday modern English, “washerwoman,” “laundrywoman,” or “washer” may sound more familiar, while “laundry service” is often preferred for a commercial arrangement.